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Busting the myth that the personal computer (PC) era is a bygone one, information technology research and advisory company Gartner Inc's estimates show that PC gaming is expected to reach $21 billion by the end of 2015. Also, observations by market intelligence firm IDC show that BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India and China) will propel PC and Mac gaming to new heights in the next three years. US-based graphics chip manufacturer Nvidia, too, believes in this growth story.
In an interview, Vishal Dhupar, managing director (South Asia), Nvidia, shares with K Rajani Kanth the over $4-billion company's gaming strategy aligned with the PC, plans to launch Shield, the world's first gaming portable for open platforms, in India, and its Tegra K1 mobile processor. Edited excerpts:
How do you see the gaming industry in the Indian context?
Given the fact that almost 50 per cent of online users play games and this user base is only increasing, I think we have enormous opportunity. I believe that India is on a threshold of prospering as a gaming country for reasons more than one. For one, broadband is going to be more easily available to the consumer at a better price. And two, we have a large proportion of youngsters who are tech-savvy. As a combination of these things, India is poised hugely to become a really great gaming country.
Mobile is the in-thing now in terms of games. Why is Nvidia focusing on the PC part?
The whole future of gaming is changing. And, the gaming future for Nvidia resides in the PC. Today, PC is getting morphed into a mobile device. A year back, we had launched Shield, a mobile device that takes the advantage of the same graphic processing unit (GPU) used in the PC, for hardcore gamers. At Android, when you play on your phone, you are playing on the touch screen. And, that's for casual playing. But no hardcore gamer will touch that. To break that whole glass ceiling, we converged the mobility with the controller part and brought out Shield.
Android is disrupting almost all industries and is on the verge of disrupting the gaming industry as well. To disrupt the gaming industry, you require hardcore gamers to embrace gaming. Since, we found that they are very few people who are witnessing the change as much as we believed in, we said we will bring in a reference platform called Shield.
Will Shield also double as a normal mobile phone with functions to make calls etc? And, do you have plans to launch it in India during this calendar?
No. Buying a Shield is like buying a Bugatti or a Lamborghini, which are meant for speed! Yes. We will make it available in India ... stay tuned.
About your Tegra K1 (also called Tegra 5) mobile processor...
We have developed Tegra K1 using the same GPU that we use in super computers and high-performing work stations, for mobility. Beijing-based Xiaomi Technology has already launched its first tablet almost a month ago. Various original equipment manufacturers will be rolling out multiple products soon.
